23 April 2012 Lamb's Yacht Center Jacksonville, FL

Well, here we sit!  Still no stern thruster repair.  Ozel did get his new computer today though and we received a call from Debbie (our canvas and screen maker) That she is mailing our new windshield screens today.  They are to replace the ones that were blown away during a severe, high wind storm in Gulfport. So we are getting a few things in order.

Yesterday we went to the "Tour du farm" here in the Jacksonville area.  Small organic farms open up to the public to show off the farms and to sell their and others' organic products. It was held on Earth Day.  We even had an organic strawberry mojito!  It was great!  We visited 2 farms. Had a great time and made a few modest purchases.

Now to the story which relates to our on land transportation.  When we were in St. Augustine, we saw a boat that we had known back home.  It was the Second Fantasy - Rockport, TX.  The boat left early the next morning so we didn't have a chance to meet the people on board.  We headed to Jacksonville and after a few days at the City Marina, we moved up River to the Ortega River and to Lamb's Yacht Center. They are a certified dealer of the stern thruster that we needed to have repaired.  Guess what boat was tied up right in front of us.   It was Second Fantasy!  We finally met the owners - Tom and Doris Sanders.  They invited us to join them on the Farm visit.

This a  picture from earlier this week.  It is of Judy and Tom Martin at our onboard cocktail hour before we headed to dinner.   It was a great evening.

Tom and Doris Sanders with Ozel at one of the farms we visited.

 Ozel and Doris shopping at the bread tent.......Whole Wheat Rosemary bread,  anyone?

18 April 2012 Lamb's Yacht Center - Jacksonville, FL

The winds decided to challenge us once again.  It was really blowing and there was a strong in coming current when we left the City Marina.  We sure appreciated the guys that helped us with our lines as we left.  Ozel did an excellent job of getting us out of there!!

We headed up river to Lamb's Yacht Center on the Ortega River.  Plan to stay a few days to get the stern thruster repaired and to replace Ozel's nav computer that was killed by a dog's tail. Not quite sure how long we'll be here.

Through Facebook, a childhood friend and high school classmate, Judy Martin, made contact.  She lives here in Jacksonville with her husband Tom.  They came by the boat for a glass of wine and then we went to dinner at the Riverside Brewery Restaurant.  It was such fun talking about old times and catching up.  We were in Brownie Scouts together and graduated H.S. together.  It was a great evening.

 Early morning at Lamb's

Looking out our Galley window. I thought that this was a neat picture

15 - 17 April 2012 Metropolitan Park Marina - Jacksonville, FL

We left St. Augustine and continued north on the Intracoastal.  It was a nice trip.  The scenery changed as we  went....less palms.  Lots and lots of big and expensive houses. Just after noon we entered the St. John's River and headed to Jacksonville. We pulled into the Metropolitan Park Marina which is the City Marina. It has 75 slips but there were only 3 boats when we arrived.  This is a free dock (when there are no events going at the stadium or the park) that has a 72hr stay limit.  Electricity is paid for at a kiosk and costs $8.50 per day for 50 amp. This was a great stop.  The Jacksonville Fire Museum is in the Park.  It is quite interesting. 

 We passed this ship on the way up river to Jacksonville

 It amazed us that this beautiful marina was empty

Sunset in Jacksonville. Taken from the back of our boat.

 Fire Museum of Jacksonville

14 April 2012 St. Augustine, FL

Leaving Halifax River Marina was interesting.  You return keys by dropping them in a cloth bag at the end of a pole being held out by a guy on the fuel dock as you are leaving the  Marina.  What a hoot!!!

We enjoyed our stay here but miss Sean, AnLee,  Melina and Kara.

Another day of wind!  It was extremely windy by the time we arrived at St. Augustin Municipal Marina. We docked bow in.  The marina dock staff were very helpful!  Ozel did a great job of bringing Freya in.  It was blowing 25 - 30.  The marina is right in Old Town.  It was an enjoyable stop.  Had dinner at O.C. Whites which was across the street from the marina. Good food.

We enjoyed walking down the narrow back streets.

The Fantasea from Rockport was two boats down from us.  We never did see the  people aboard her.  

12 - 13 April 2012 Halifax River Marina - Daytona, FL

We had a pleasant trip from Titusville to Daytona.  Melina and AnLee were drivers today.  The wind picked up during the day and was really blowing by the time we reached the Halifax River Marina.  A bit exciting docking at the fuel dock.  The good news is that we used less fuel than we expected.

We tied up at the end of E Dock which was across from the Blue Grotto Restaurant and Tiki Bar.  The building also housed a West Marine - Ozel was able to get a few things that he needed there.

My friend and colleague from my working days and her husband live nearby in New Smyrna Beach.  They drove over for a visit and to have dinner.  We hadn't seen each other in about 12 years.  Collette and Ray helped us bring Orion (our Beneteau 440 sailboat) back from Veracruz after a "Regatta de los Amigos Race" several years ago.  It was so good to see them!!!!! They haven't changed a bit.

We had a "Lazy Day" on the 13th.  Sean and Ozel went to the airport to rent a car.  When they returned, we took a ride to Daytona Beach.  We couldn't find a place to park - it was really crowded over there so we came back to the mainland and had lunch at an Irish Pub.  Sean and family left for the airport in Orlando after lunch.  I did laundry and later prepared an easy supper - wine and cheese..

 AnLee at the helm - Sean enjoying the ride

 

The Blue Grotto Restaurant and Tiki Bar.

Collette and Ray

We really enjoyed our few days with Sean, AnLee, Melina and Kara.  Hope they can meet us again along the route.

11 April 2012 Titusville, FL

We saw Manta Rays and Dolphin as we departed the Melbourne Marina.  Sean said that he saw what looked like large pieces of cardboard in the water.....turned out to be the rays.  Quite a send off!
Later in the day we had 4 Dolphin ride our stern wake for a long time.  They were bumping into each other and appeared to be playing.  This is the kind of thing that we really are enjoying on this trip.

 Kara with Nissa

 Kara with Osita

Melina with Nissa

Kara did a great job of driving the boat.  She really seemed to enjoy it.  Melina was enjoying sunbathing on the top deck.  I don't think she has much opportunity to do so in Seattle.

10 April 2012 - Melbourne, FL

We are at the Melbourne Harbor Marina.  Nice location with short walk to town.....however, we had a very long walk to find a groomer for the Girls.  They were over due for a trim.  We found a terrific groomer - Cashmere Grooming. They also are a grooming school.  The people were friendly and even offered to deliver the Girls to the Marina to save us the walk.  As it turned out, Sean arrived and had a rental car so he and Ozel picked up the Girls.
We were so happy to see Sean and his family.  They had spent a couple of days at Epcot Center and Disney Hollywood before meeting us in Melbourne.  We did some shopping, returned the rental and had a lazy day afterward.  Really good dinner at Ichabod's at the Marina.

Left to right: Kara, AnLee, Melina, Sean, Maryann and Ozel.  

We were a little wind blown in this picture that actually was taken in Daytona

9 April 2012

We had a short day today. At the dock before 3PM.  Moved the boat to Melbourne, Fl will meet Sean and family tomorrow.  We are at Melbourne Harbor Marina.

Had a quiet evening... dinner aboard.

8 April 2012 - Fort Pierce, FL

We had a relatively easy day today. There was a bit of a wait to go through the lock this morning but not bad.  Had about the best lock passage of the trip today.  Continued down the St. Lucie river to the Indian River (Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway) and then North to Fort Pierce.  Today was a good day....

Ozel at the helm....my chart table.

We were almost to the top rail when we entered the lock. The water goes out through the small opening.
Quite impressive. Wish I could have taken a picture at the start but was busy managing the boat.

Picture taken from our table at supper.. Some of the best mussels I've ever had!!!!

7 April 2012 Stuart Florida

We crossed Lake Okeechobee today. The wind was blowing in the low 20s and there was quite a chop. The wind got up to 25-20 in the afternoon so we stopped a bit early.  We are staying at the River Forrest Yachting Center in Stuart about a mile from the St. Lucie Lock which is the last lock on the Okeechobee Waterway eastbound.

We got to practice some good old dead reckoning navigation today...Ozel's Captian's Program on his computer had a glitch and didn't cover part of our trip today....we did quite well!  We were remembering when that was our only navigating system!  Sure glad our long term memory is in good working order.

This location is so quiet and peaceful.  We've only seen one person- he got on his boat and haven't seen him since.  The Center actually is closed to day. We called in (must have been a cell phone) and the dockmaster said to come on in, tie up and call them on Monday to give them our credit card info when the office is open. We even will get a Boat US discount.

Ozel and the Girls checking the weather this morning.

River Forrest Yachting Center....quiet and peaceful.  A little athletic ability required for getting off the boat.

Love this sign!!!!  Girls loved it also!

6 April 2012 Clewiston, Fl

Made it through 3 locks today. Everything went smoothly...the lock attendants were quite helpful  and friendly! Ozel did a great job of getting us through and , if not to brash, I did a good job of deck work!  Didn't know I could still move that fast!  It actually was fun.

The Ortona Lock was especially awesome...could see an 8' tall wall of water between the partially open gates which became a sort of water fall.  Would have made great photos but we were too busy managing the boat to take them.

We are at the Roland Martin Marina and will head across Lake Ocheechobee in the morning. Hope to stay at the  Corps of Engineers landing at the St. Lucie Lock tomorrow night.

Thought that we would need "Leon" since the last time here were attached by Mosquitos!!!! We were lucky...there was a breeze or was it because Greg wasn't with us.

4-5 April 2012 Fort Myers Yacht Basin

We had a good day, if not a long one - 9hrs and 45 minutes from Sarasota to Fort Myers.  Tampa Bay was an interesting crossing. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is beautiful.  Will add picture later when I can get pictures off of my camera.  You might know that I left the connector between my computer and the camera home.
The Fort Myers Yacht Basin hasn't changed since we were there when we brought the boat from Stuart, FL to Rockport.  it is an easy walk to  old town where we had lunch on the 5th at Morgan House.  The Girls could be with us in the upper patio. We ate at this restaurant with Liz and Greg on the 2009 trip
We decided to have a rest day on the 5th.  Took advantage of the land day to do laundry.
Had dinner on board.

As you can see, this is a really nice setting.  There is a neat park about a block from the marina that has a variety of palm trees from many locations.

4 April 2012 Sarasota to Fort Myers

Had a long day today - 9 hours and 45 minutes.  We are really pooped. We got to shop at a Whole Foods yesterday so provisions are in good shape.  After our long day, we were too tired to eat out so had a pasta dish onboard.

It really was a nice day just long.  Will take the day off tomorrow and rest up and get the boat back in order!

 Marina Jack's in Sarasota. 

Osprey nest...we saw so many of these.  Moms and Dads feeding the young ones...

3 April 2012 Clearwater Beach City Marina

We had a good stay other than no water but had cable TV.  What more could you ask for? From here we headed to Sarasota.
The highlight of this portion of the trip and possibly the entire trip was our dolphin escorts. They were with us for a long time and I finally have successful dolphin photos.

Our wake up call!

Good Morning, Clearwater!

That is a baby in the water.  They followed us for quite awhile.

High jumper!!!

Big boy!!

Low jumper!!!

2 April 2012 Repairs done - underway!

Repairs completed before noon so decided to head to Clearwater.  Calibrated instruments outside the river and were underway.  It was a short haul to Clearwater but sets us up to make Sarasota on the 3rd.

We had dinner here at the Bait Shop Restuarant.. good food!!

31 March 2012 Tarpon Springs

We left the dock for the F&Y fuel dock, fueled up and headed down river to the Intracoastal and then on to Bradenton Beach with Miss 'N Texas. We made it 9.5 mi when the engine overheat alarm went off - immediately pulled to side of IWW and dropped anchor -> alternator belt off -> put back on -> stared engine, hoisted anchor and went about 5 min -> alarm sounding again.  Checked out water intake etc. but could not locate the problem so we called the trusted Tow Boat US.  They were there in less than 1/2 hr and towed us back to Turtle Cove.  There is always a bright side - if you have to spend time for repairs, there is no better place than Tarpon Springs and especially at Turtle Cove Marina.. We got to enjoy more of the Greek food, wine and beer!

We told Miss 'N Texas to go on since there was nothing that they could do and they were to meet friends and stay with friends for a few days.  We plan to catch up with them down the way.

The owner of Turtle Cove Marina was coming up the IWW in his boat and came over to offer assistance

Peter contacted Pittman Marine which he said had the best mechanics and since we were going to be delayed, contacted Sigma Marine Electronics to take a look at our GPS since we were having difficulties there also.  The good news was that they would take care of us  - the bad, it would be Monday.  Oh well - we'll try some more Restaurants.

28 - 29 MARCH 2012 DOG ISLAND AND ACROSS THE GULF

From Apalachicola we we anchored at Dog  Island off Carabelle, FL We took the Girls ashore for obvious reasons. The Island is not very wide so we could easily get to the Gulf side.  Nissa absolutely loved the surf just as her Mom, Freya, did! It was fun to watch.  As usual, Osita didn't show any interest other than being happy to be on shore.

We had planned to spend the night at anchor and get underway at first light for Cedar Key which would be a 10 hr fetch across the gulf and then on to Tarpon Springs the next day. When we contacted the Cedar Key City Marina which is listed in the 2012 Water Way Guide, we were told that there was no place to tie up.  The new pier is for fishing only and is too tall for tie up - another city person called us to confirm that the info that we had been given was accurate. We found out that the person that was the Community Planning Person mentioned in the guide was no longer with the City........SO.....at 1900hrs we hoisted the anchor and headed directly across the Gulf to Tarpon Springs.  The seas were 2-3ft but at short interval so it was quite uncomfortable. (still better than the last time we crossed in 4-5ft with wind and rain) They started to flatten after midnight.  It was a really dark night as well.  We are thankful for the Chart Plotter, Capt. Program and good Nav equipment. We entered the Anclote River at 1045hrs and arrived at Turtle Cove Marina, Tarpon Springs at 1130hrs.

We were greeted by the Dock Master, Peter Dawood, who helped us with lines and then drove us to the Office via golf cart to register  He then proceeded to tour the premises showing us the available facilities.  This is a great location!  We can walk to Restaurants, mainly Greek which we love, and to the main street in the old town.  Lots of tourists on the weekends but more quiet on weekdays.

               These are the large storage barns off our stern.  We are thankful for the handy grassy area.

The pool looked inviting but we are a little early in the season.  It was sooooo cold.  The pool is located at the Club House. There are showers, a free laundry area and a bar which was open on the weekend.  There is also a bar on the docks - Thought of RYC - it is the Tiki Bar!

The only negative here is the long distances to the facilities. The Dock Master said that he plans to have bicycles available in the near future..

27 March 2012 - Panama City -> Apalachicola, FL

We had an interesting thing happen en-route to Apalachicola along the Intracoastal Water Way.  Between mm315 and mm320, we came upon several randomly placed fires in the woodlands along the water way. Although the fires seemed to be a controlled burn, we didn't see a single person at the sites.  We called 911. They transferred us to the Parks and Wildlife Department.  You will not believe what followed.  The person that answered did not know about the Intracoastal. She kept asking what City, County and even what State we were calling from. We informed her that our charts did not have that information (we did know what State we in, incase you might think that we were entirely out of it) We informed her that we had left Panama City and were going to Apalachicola - eastbound between mm315 and mm320. At that point it was clear that she still didn't have a clue so we graciously gave up. Very curious- wondering if anyone ever checked the fires.  I was worrying because the woods were full of Lob Lolly (sp?) pines!

We saw eagles and ospreys along the Jackson River as we approached Apalachicola.  Was neat to see the baby ospreys in the nests on top of the day markers. Even saw some being fed!

Once settled in Scipio Creek Marina next to Papa Joe's Oyster Bar.  Kathy, Miss 'N Texas, and I walked to the grocery store.   It turned out to be more of an endurance walk than a stroll but we made it and back!!!!